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Deeply concerned about the financial situation at his beloved Bolton Wanderers, John McGinlay has urged co-owners Ken Anderson and Dean Holdsworth to get on message for the sake of the club.
Reacting to The Bolton News’ story yesterday which confirmed chairman Anderson has yet to put £2.5million of funding into the club which was guaranteed to the Football League during the takeover in March, the former Scotland international fears the Whites are once again heading into choppy waters.
Anderson has denied that players will not be paid at the end of this week and says the cash he has promised is available, but that there has been “no need” to provide it thus far.
His words have done little to assuage McGinlay’s worry that the financial issues faced before the takeover could be set to return.
“To have this scenario so quickly after taking over the club is quite alarming,” he told The Bolton News. “I don’t know Ken Anderson, I have never met him, I don’t know what he is thinking or how he works. I do know Dean, I know he is a football man and has an affection for the club.
“For Ken Anderson to turn round and say he hasn’t put the money in because it hasn’t been needed borders on the farcical.
“Of course it is needed. The club is in an embargo, there are all sorts of matters to be addressed, so shouldn’t both owners be looking at getting things like that sorted immediately?
“It’s a deeply concerning picture which is developing at the moment.”
Wanderers held interviews with four managers yesterday but McGinlay questioned whether any of the applicants could be offered assurances about the club’s financial future.
“If they are talking to managers the first thing they will ask is ‘what is my budget?’ and ‘when will the embargo be lifted'?” he said.
“They are asking someone to come in and start taking the club forward but how can they in these circumstances?”
Wanderers are currently under special measures imposed by the Football League and also a transfer embargo for failing to produce forecasts for Financial Fair Play at the start of the year.
The transfer window reopens on July 1 – just 38 days – but the club has failed to respond to questions on when they anticipate the embargo to be lifted or the criteria they must meet.
McGinlay fears the club has already missed out on the best bargains this summer but warned if Wanderers do experience problems with the payroll at the end of the week, the problems could escalate quickly.
“It’s the time of year when the club should be getting some work done in the transfer market and yet we are facing a situation where some people claim we can’t pay our own players,” he said. “I know Ken Anderson has denied that, and I really hope he is right, but what message does it send out?
“We all know we have players we can’t afford to keep but we also need to get new ones in.
“If we have got to look at free transfers then the time to do that has already passed; the best ones have already gone.”
By this stage of the post-season the transfer rumour mill has usually stoked up, giving fans a chance to speculate on who may arrive or leave in time for the new campaign.
However, the agenda at the Macron Stadium has been dominated by financial news with the exception of Rob Holding’s likely exit to the Premier League with Arsenal or Tottenham.
McGinlay hopes that will soon change and that Wanderers fans will have an incentive to buy a season ticket and back the team in big numbers.
“From a supporters’ point of view it would be nice to get a new manager in, see him sign a new player or two, have something different to talk and read about,” he said.
“The club needs to encourage people to buy season tickets. So many people want to support the club but you have got to give them a reason to pay their money.
“It seems at the moment that we are just tugging on the heartstrings and just relying on people helping the club in its hour of need.
“Fans need something to whet their appetite. The club needs to get out there in the town, liaise with the people who support them and convince them to be a part of it.”
Source
Reacting to The Bolton News’ story yesterday which confirmed chairman Anderson has yet to put £2.5million of funding into the club which was guaranteed to the Football League during the takeover in March, the former Scotland international fears the Whites are once again heading into choppy waters.
Anderson has denied that players will not be paid at the end of this week and says the cash he has promised is available, but that there has been “no need” to provide it thus far.
His words have done little to assuage McGinlay’s worry that the financial issues faced before the takeover could be set to return.
“To have this scenario so quickly after taking over the club is quite alarming,” he told The Bolton News. “I don’t know Ken Anderson, I have never met him, I don’t know what he is thinking or how he works. I do know Dean, I know he is a football man and has an affection for the club.
“For Ken Anderson to turn round and say he hasn’t put the money in because it hasn’t been needed borders on the farcical.
“Of course it is needed. The club is in an embargo, there are all sorts of matters to be addressed, so shouldn’t both owners be looking at getting things like that sorted immediately?
“It’s a deeply concerning picture which is developing at the moment.”
Wanderers held interviews with four managers yesterday but McGinlay questioned whether any of the applicants could be offered assurances about the club’s financial future.
“If they are talking to managers the first thing they will ask is ‘what is my budget?’ and ‘when will the embargo be lifted'?” he said.
“They are asking someone to come in and start taking the club forward but how can they in these circumstances?”
Wanderers are currently under special measures imposed by the Football League and also a transfer embargo for failing to produce forecasts for Financial Fair Play at the start of the year.
The transfer window reopens on July 1 – just 38 days – but the club has failed to respond to questions on when they anticipate the embargo to be lifted or the criteria they must meet.
McGinlay fears the club has already missed out on the best bargains this summer but warned if Wanderers do experience problems with the payroll at the end of the week, the problems could escalate quickly.
“It’s the time of year when the club should be getting some work done in the transfer market and yet we are facing a situation where some people claim we can’t pay our own players,” he said. “I know Ken Anderson has denied that, and I really hope he is right, but what message does it send out?
“We all know we have players we can’t afford to keep but we also need to get new ones in.
“If we have got to look at free transfers then the time to do that has already passed; the best ones have already gone.”
By this stage of the post-season the transfer rumour mill has usually stoked up, giving fans a chance to speculate on who may arrive or leave in time for the new campaign.
However, the agenda at the Macron Stadium has been dominated by financial news with the exception of Rob Holding’s likely exit to the Premier League with Arsenal or Tottenham.
McGinlay hopes that will soon change and that Wanderers fans will have an incentive to buy a season ticket and back the team in big numbers.
“From a supporters’ point of view it would be nice to get a new manager in, see him sign a new player or two, have something different to talk and read about,” he said.
“The club needs to encourage people to buy season tickets. So many people want to support the club but you have got to give them a reason to pay their money.
“It seems at the moment that we are just tugging on the heartstrings and just relying on people helping the club in its hour of need.
“Fans need something to whet their appetite. The club needs to get out there in the town, liaise with the people who support them and convince them to be a part of it.”
Source
